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NCAA TOURNAMENT |
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Excerpted
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JEFFREY BROWN (interviewer): Now, how important is something like this to a
school like George Mason,
JOHN FEINSTEIN (sports reporter): It's almost incalculable, because if you
go back and study schools at all levels that have success in this tournament
through the years, whether it's a power school like Duke or the schools you're
talking about, like George Mason and Wichita State, admissions goes up,
endowment goes up, contributions from alumni go up, bookstore sales rocket.
Teams that win a national championship, they make into the millions in
licensing for caps, and t-shirts, and sweatshirts, and things like that. And
the national profile of the school goes up. It helps you in terms of recruiting
professors, and it also helps the quality of student, because the more people
you have applying, the more likely you are to have quality students in that
application pool.
JEFFREY BROWN: Of course, not every -- often people complain about the
coach's salaries, especially compared to professors, but I guess this is why.
JOHN FEINSTEIN: Well, exactly, because they can make money for the schools.
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke's coach, is without question
its biggest fundraiser, because not only the money that he brings in to the
program through TV rights and tournament money, but all of these other factors
we're talking about that skyrocket because of the basketball team's success all
lead back to the Krzyzewski.
In the 20 years since Duke started going to Final Fours under Krzyzewski -- they've been to 10 in the last 20 years --
Duke's admissions have tripled applications, and a lot of that comes directly
back to the success of the basketball program.
JEFFREY BROWN: Now, you're talking about Duke. In the end in these things,
usually the Cinderella teams do not win.
JOHN FEINSTEIN: Correct.
JEFFREY BROWN: it usually comes back to the great powers. This time it could
be Duke,
JOHN FEINSTEIN: It will be almost certainly a power school cutting down the
nets in